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wa-kawāʿiba ʾatrāban
and buxom maidens of a like age,
— Ali Quli Qarai
78An-Nabā’النبإVerse 33 of 40
The Tidings78. An-Nabā’النبإ
al-Naba’
The Tiding
MeccanVerse 33 of 40
78An-Nabā’النبإVerse 33 of 40
The Tiding
and buxom maidens of a like age,
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Nabaa, Verses 31-37
31. “Surely for the Righteous there is a victory,”
32. “Gardens enclosed and vineyards”
33. “And comely maidens, with the freshness of youth, equals in age”.
34. “And a cup overflowing”.
35. “No Vanity shall they hear therein, nor Untruth,”
36. “A reward from your Lord, an award sufficing,”
37. “Lord of the heavens ant the earth and all between the two, the All‑merciful, with Whom none shall have power to argue.
Some Great Rewards for the Righteous
The former verses were about the destiny of the rebels and about some of their painful punishments and the causes of their rebellion. The following verses are about the opposite group; the true believers, the Righteous, and some of their rewards in the Hereafter: compare them with each other so that the facts can be understood more clearly. This is the style, in the Qur’an, which sets the opponents facing each other and makes their state clear by showing the contrasts in their positions.
At first, it says:
The term /mafaz/ is a place‑noun which is derived from /fauz/ in the sense of ‘gaining goodness safely’ and also means: ‘salvation and victory’ which is necessary for paining the goodness safely’. Regarding the term /mafaz/, which is used in an indefinite form in this text, it means ‘gaining a very great victory and salvation’. Then, describing this felicity and salvation, it says:
The term /ĥada’iq/ is the plural form of /ĥadiqah/ which is a garden planted with trees surrounded by a wall. Raqib cites in his book, Mufradat, that /ĥadiqah/ originally means‑: ‘a piece of land containing water for irrigation’, like /ĥadaqah/, ‘the eye‑socket’, where water exists, continuously, for lubricating the eye. It is interesting to note that, among all the fruits, grapes are emphasized on, here, because of their extra advantages in comparison with the other fruits.
Since, according to statements of the scientists of nutrition, grapes are not only a complete food, from the point of their nutritive value, but are, also, counted as an article of foodstuff closely similar in comparison to mothers’ milk. They produce calories, in the body, twice as much as meat does. Grapes have so many useful properties that they could be called ‘a natural pharmacy’. Further to this, they possess the characteristic of being antitoxins; useful in blood purification. They work as a remedy for rheumatism and gout, and are a factor in controlling the level of nitrogen in the blood.
In addition to these, grapes strengthen the nerves, bring happiness, and because of containing different kinds of vitamins, make man able‑bodied and powerful. These are only a few of the qualities of grapes. And hence, it has been related that the Prophet (S) has said:
“Grapes are your best fruit”...
Then, referring to another gift, in Heaven, for the Righteous, it says:
The term /kawa’ib/ is the plural form of /ka’ib/ which means ‘a damsel entering puberty’ which illustrates their prime youth. And the term /atrab/ is the plural form of /tirb/ which means ‘persons of the same age’ which is used mostly for the feminine gender. Some others have said that the term is originally based on /tara’ib/ meaning: ‘ribs of the chest’ which are very similar to each other. It is probable that the maidens of Heaven, themselves, are ‘equals in age’ or they are ‘equals in age’ with the wives of the Righteous, for only by this standard can complete sympathy and understanding be figured. However, the first commentary seems more appropriate.
Then, the fourth gift, allocated to the Righteous, is mentioned:
It is not a drink like the worldly wine; which is filthy and makes man drunk unconscious and descends him lower than the lowly animals, but it is a drink that increases the wisdom and refreshes the spirit and soul. The term /ka’s/ means ‘a cup full of drink’, and it sometimes means the container, itself. The term /dihaq/ is rendered as ‘overflowing’ by many commentators and philologists, but in ‘Lisan‑ul‑Arab’ by Ibn‑i‑manzur, two more meanings are cited for it: ‘successive(ly), repeated(ly)’ and ‘limpid, clear’.
Therefore, if we consider all these senses, the verse means: ‘in Heaven, overflowing cups of pure, limpid drink are brought, repeatedly, for the Righteous’. In speaking about ‘cup’ and ‘drink’ reference is made to the disgusting association of the two in this world, while the heavenly drink is just the opposite to that devilish worldly wine. Subsequently, the next verse says:
Two probabilities are suggested regarding the pronoun in /fiha/ and as to which noun it refers to. The first says it refers to ‘Heaven’ and the second, that it refers to ‘cup’. According to the first commentary the verse means that: ‘they hear no foolishness or falsehood in Heaven’, as was said in Surah Qashiya, No. 88, verse 10‑11:
And, according to the second commentary the verse means: there will not appear any deceit or worthlessness as a result of having that cup of drink as was said in Surah Tur, No. 52, verse 23:
In any case, one of the great spiritual bounties for the Righteous, in Heaven, is that they hear no vanity, no falsehood, no slander, no rejection of the truth, no justification of the unjust, and no worthless talk such as are usually associated with this earthly world which is indulged in by some corrupted people and causes pain to the hearts of the Righteous. Verily, how nice and comfortable the environment where this kind of unbecoming speech is not found therein, and according to Surah Maryam, No. 19, verse 62:
In counting the bounties in Heaven, for the Righteous, a spiritual gift is mentioned, at the end, which excels the others and says:
What blessing and reward can be better and has a higher standard than that of a powerless servant, favored with the grace and love of his Great, Gracious Lord. Allah rewards him, honors him, and gives him a liberal and bountiful gift. This is the true Salvation, which is so delightful for the Righteous that no other blessing can match it. The term /rabb/ ‘Lord’ followed by /ka/, the second person singular pronoun (addressee), together with the term /’ata’/ ‘an award’ are all signs of His superior favor which are involved in these rewards.
The term /hisaba/, according to many commentators, means ‘sufficient’, like /hasbi/ ‘enough’. A tradition from Hazrat Ali (as) says that in the Hereafter Allah takes careful count of each good deed, of the Believers, and wards them, for every good deed, ten to seven hundred times more, as he has cited from the Qur’an:
It is understood from this narration that though Allah’s rewards are paid out generously or bountifully as awards, they are based on the account of good deeds, i.e. His awards are in proportion with men’s good deeds. Hence, the term /hisaba/, in the above verse, can be commented on by its common meaning: ‘account’. This meaning and the previous meaning, then, can be used interchangeably. Then, in the last verse of this part, it says:
Truly, the One Who is the owner of the great universe, and is its Creator, too, Whose Grace is seen everywhere and covers everyone, does, indeed, award the Righteous, abundantly, in the Hereafter. This verse, without doubt, points to the fact that if Allah promises the Righteous such rewards, then a small part of it; in the form of His general Grace, has been shown to those in the heavens as well as to those on the earth in this world. And at the end of the verse, it says:
The pronoun of the term
may refer to all creatures in the heavens and on the earth, or to all the Righteous and the rebels gathered in the Hereafter for the Reckoning and recompense. Whichever it may be, it points to this fact, that on that Day no one has the right to protest against the Record, because it is 50 precise and the recompense so just that no one can say anything. Besides, no one has the right to offer intercession, but by Allah’s leave:
Explanation: The Rewards of the Righteous and the Recompense of the Rebels
There is an interesting comparison between the rewards of the Righteous, in these verses, and the chastisement of the disbelieving rebels in the former verses. The contrast is between
for the Righteous and
The Upright will have and enjoy
but the transgressors will have fire
The Righteous are awarded
in
but the evildoers are recompensed
The Righteous, are
by Allah; the All‑merciful, but the rejecters receive
from Him; the Just. The rewards are increased for the Righteous, but there is an increase of punishment for the rebels. In short, these two groups are in contrast with each other in every respect, because they are different from the point of belief and action.
The Pure Drinks in Heaven
In different verses of the Holy Qur’an, the heavenly drinks are well‑defined and specified. Studying these verses shows that those who drink these drinks attain such an ecstasy that no human language can describe it. In Surah al-Insan, No. 76, verse 21 the drink is characterized as ‘pure drink’:
On some other occasions it is emphasized that this clear white drink is a drink that brings no headiness nor intoxication:
And in another Surah it says:
Also, it says:
In the current verse, it says:
But most important is that it is Allah Who offers and serves them the drinks with His Favor and Grace:
Supplication
O Lord! We pray that You will give us the pure drink, also.
Footnotes